Socket or contact for electric plug or pin couplings



March 18, 1941. G. wAcss-rA F 2.235.780 SOCKET 0R CONTACT FOR ELECTQINI'IIIGFPI-LUGDRPIN COUPLINGS Filed 1m 17 1933 k G fave-21 2802}: eprge h6g a Patented Mar. 18,1941

UNITED STATES socxs'r on com-nor ron ELECTRIC PLUG on rm commas George Wagstaii, Long-Eaton, England, assignor I to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mesa, a company of Massachusetts Application August 1?, 1938, Serial No. 225,324

. In Great Britain October so, 1937 3 Claims.

invention relates to an improved socket or contact for electric plug or pin couplings of the kind comprising a strip of resilient metal.

bent to. form a trough or U-section and having 5 apertures in the sides of the trough or section therein for receiving the plug or-pin, the apertures being slightly out 01' register or alignment but being adapted owing to the resilience of the metal to be forced sufllciently'into register or alignment when a plug or pin is inserted thus exerting a constant pressure thereon gripping it tightly. The apertures may lie in parallel planes or they may lie in planes at an angle one to the other. .In this latter case the insertion of the 2 plug or pin forces the apertures into approximately parallel planes and thus produces the required gripping action on the plug or pin. One

part of the contact or socket may be provided.

with means such as a fixing eyelet ior securing 30 the socket to a holder plate or the like. 1 A series of sockets or contacts made according to the invention may be attached to a holder plate or the like to form an electric valve holder and they may be radially arranged as hereinafter 35 described.

To enable the invention to be fully understood it will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawing in which: a Y Figs. 1 10 inclusive shew various forms of sockets oricontacts made according to the invention in sectional elevation and Fig. 1a is a side elevation of the form shewn in Fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of a holder having sockets or contacts according to the invention applied 45 thereto and i Fig. 12 is a section on the line "-42 of Fig. 11. As shewn in Figs. 1 and 1a the socket or contact is formed from a single piece of metal bent to form a prong or base I! and a prong ll connected together by a resilient portion II, the prong I! having a depending lug It. The prongs are formed with apertures i'l. ll slightly out of alignment as shewn, the aperture ll having an upstanding flange it formed round it to act as a 55 fixing eyelet to secure the contact in a holder extending therefrom and two prongs forming con-' tasting portions. each prong having an aperture plate or the like. The lug it is formed with holes 20 for securing an electrical conductor in the known manner. in Fig. 1 an inserted pin I i is indicated in dotted lines and it will be seen that on insertion the pin passes through the aperture 5 II but meets the right hand edge of the aperture I 8 and slides through said aperture forcing the two apertures into sufllcient alignment the right hand insideedge of the aperture l8 bearing against 10 the inserted pin and gripping it tightly as long as it is inserted in the socket. The pin can easily be removed by a side rocking motion. Figs. 2

and 3 shew sockets generally similar to Fig. 1

and operating in a similar manner thereto but with a diflerent arrangement of the prongs. In Fig. 3 the prongs are connected by a loop 22 which gives resilience, the sides of the loop being provided with coincident holes 23 for the attachment of an electrical conductor. It will be noted that in Figs. 1 to 3 the apertures in the prongs lie in substantially parallel planes.

Figs. 4 to 10 inclusive shew examples wherein the apertures are out of alignment and also do not lie in parallel planes. These arrangements produce similar gripping effects on the inserted 25 plug to those produced in the form shewn in Figs. 1 to 3 but the operation is slightly different. Fig. 4 shews the plug 2| at the beginning of the insertion operation and the end of the plug strikes the prong contacting edge A of the aperture I8 and forces the prong ll downwards causing it to bend about the point B until the pin slips into the aperture i! when the parts take up the position shewn in Fig. 5 the prong It being resilient and the edge A of the aperture bearing tightly against the side of the pin. The free end oi the prong I4 is turned up at 24 to form a stop to limit theupward movement of the prong by coming into contact with the lug It as shewn. It will be apparent that the plug displaces the apertured end of the prong l4 farther away from the base it or the aperture II, to a point wherein the distance between the edge A and the point of ilexure B is substantially greater than the distance between the point of fiexure B and the nearest side of the plug or base aperture. Thus, withdrawal oi the plug is resisted by the contacting edge due to the increased length of A to B over the distance from B to the nearest'side oi the plug. Fig. 6- shews a further form of socket operating similarly to that shewn in Figs. 4 and I 5 butwithout a stop.

Figs. 7 and 8 shew a further form wherein the apertures are out of alignment and also do not a lie in parallel planes and when the pin 2| is 55.

inserted and meets the prong It the latter bends about the point C and the pin slips into the aperture 18 and holds the prong M in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the prong ll the side D or the aperture i8 bearing tightly against the pin as shewn in Fig. 8. The free end of the prong M is upturned at N to form a stop.

Figs. 9 and 10 shew further forms of socket wherein the apertures are out of alignment and also do not lie in parallel planes, the operation being similar to that described with reference to Figs. '7 and 8 but no stops are provided. Fig. 10 shews the prongs l3, l4 joined by a loop 22 as in Fig. 3. Figs. 11 and 12 shew a holder plate having a series of four sockets each of which is 01 the kind shewn in Figs. 7 and 8 arranged radially to form a socket connector for a thermionic valve having four pin or plug contacts. The edges of the flanges IS on each socket are turned down on to the plate to hold the sockets in position and the latter are arranged with their lugs I for the attachment of electrical conductors towards the periphery of the holder plate.

The soeketsor contacts illustrated are examples only of the forms which are possible according to the invention.

Various. other forms may be devised. While f the socket is preferably made wholly of resilient metal, arrangements are possible wherein only that prong which has to be moved by the inserted pin is resilient or is resiliently connected to the other prong.

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the best means I known of carrying the same into practical eflect, I claim:

1. A one-piece sheet metal contact for electric plug couplings comprising a support-engaging base formed with a tubular attaching member for attaching said contact to a support and providing a plug-receiving and contacting aperture in said base, a single spaced prong formed with a plugreceiving aperture presenting an arcuate thin contacting edge lor engagement with said plug and normally disposed out or axial registry with the corresponding side of the plug-receiving base aperture, a connection between saidprong and base including an angular bend providing a localized point about which said prong may resiliently flex, said prong-contacting edge being spaced from said point of flexure and from the base aperture a distance substantially greater than the distance betweenthe point of ilexure and nearest side portion 0'! the plug, said plug when inserted through said base aperture engaging and flexing said prong under tension away from the base about said point of flexure, causing said thin contacting edge to be aligned with the corresponding side of said base aperture to 'receive and tightly grip .said plug, the plug-receiving aperture of said prong being of a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of said plug to permit slight lateral movement of said plug in the aperture to permit release of said plug, said contact being provided with a wire-recciviilgportion.

2. A one-piece contact as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that the prong-contacting edge engages and grips the plug on the side opposite the point of i'lexure when the plug is in operative position in the contact. 1

3. A one-piece contact as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that the prong is normally disposed in'divergent angular relation to said base and is displaced by the plug to an increased divergent angular positlon relative to the base.

GEORGE WAGSTAFF. 

